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JONES PAIRS WITH WEBER: Seth Jones will have a rookie season similar in impact to last season’s Minnesota Wild rookie Jonas Brodin. Like Brodin, Jones will be better defensively than you would expect for a teenage defenceman. Like Brodin, Jones could end up paired with his team’s No. 1 defenceman. Brodin was paired with Ryan Suter and Jones could end up with Shea Weber. Although Weber and Roman Josi were very strong together down the stretch, the Predators are lacking in experience on the blue line. The Predators’ defence would be more balanced if Weber and Josi were apart.

THOMAS WILL FIND WORK: Although there appears to be no love for Tim Thomas in the marketplace right now, it’s not difficult to imagine a team turning to him in-season if its No. 1 goalie had a significant injury. Although Thomas sat out last season, he looked brilliant the last time we saw him play.

CROSBY PUTS UP 125: Not since 2009-10 has Sidney Crosby been healthy enough to play close to a full season. He seems overdue for good luck on the medical front. At 26, he’s entering the prime of his career. When you look at his numbers last season, he was scoring at about a 127-point pace.

COACHING A SAFER PROFESSION? The Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers all sporting new hires behind the bench or coaches hired during the 2012-13 season. Several other coaches received extensions this summer. At least for now, there doesn’t seem to be as many coaches on the hot seat as we have had in the past. Still, would you want to be Peter Laviolette if the Philadelphia Flyers had a bad start, or how about Mike Yeo in Minnesota if the Wild stumbled out of the gate?

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LUONGO VS. QUICK: Fans in Vancouver have the right to argue about whether GM Mike Gillis should have kept Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider, but the truth is that Luongo might still be Canada’s best option for Sochi. Let’s not forget that this man has an Olympic gold medal and two world championships on his resume. He’s a proven winner in international competition. Plus, Canada is not rich in exceptional candidates. Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick’s performance over the past two seasons clearly have moved him ahead of the Sabres’ Ryan Miller on the unofficial depth chart. But no one has forgotten how well Miller played in Vancouver in 2010. U.S. GM David Poile has said the goalie choice will be made based on who is playing the best when the team is chosen.

NO HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE: Oddsmakers and sportswriters seem to be looking at the Russians as the team to beat at the 2014 Olympics in their home country. With the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk up front, it’s easy to understand that projection. It’s an impressive group. The problem is that every country has an impressive collection of talent. The pressure to win could be overwhelming for the Russians. My early projection: 1. Canada. 2. Sweden. 3. USA.

WINGS WILL SOAR IN EAST: With the improvements the Detroit Red Wings made to their offence and the return of Darren Helm, they can finish second in the new Atlantic Division, just behind the Boston Bruins. The misconception about the Red Wings is that they have defensive issues, but they were actually a strong defensive team by season’s end. Their issue centred on a lack of scoring depth. Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss will help.

JETS STILL GROUNDED: The move to the West won’t immediately help the Winnipeg Jets. They might need 96 or 97 points to land a playoff spot in their new division alignment. They seem more like an 88-point team, maybe a 90- or 92-point team if they continue to progress.

TORONTO OVER MONTREAL: The Canadiens were six points better than the Maple Leafs in the 48-game regular season. But with the additions of tough scorer David Clarkson and goalie Jonathan Bernier, the Maple Leafs could be a 100- or 101-point team. The Canadiens could be a point or two behind, although they could also be a 104- or 105-point team if Carey Price has an exceptional season.

DEVILS MISS PLAYOFFS AGAIN: If it happens, this would be the first time under GM Lou Lamoriello that the Devils have missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Over the last 13 months, the Devils have lost Zach Parise, Clarkson and Kovalchuk. They were the lowest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference last season, and losing Kovalchuk makes that situation worse.

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